Hunt for the Horns 1
Adventure 1 of the Hunt for the Horns Campaign. PLAYER CHARACTERS *Grendel *Mep *Bremmy *Maree NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS *Morandor *Zardock SUMMARY *''Travel through the Loeg Cabor and attacked by Gratars '' *''Reach Stonegate and told to seek Valaxus in Nevergreen Forest '' *''Valaxus sends them to the Forest of Mists (Taur Ertarkar). Morandor must remain outside.'' *''Reach forest, and keep getting lost'' *''Meet Callia the Sylph, who guides them. She warns them about the Guardian, and Mep communicates with the trees.'' *''Fight the Guardian'' *''Enter the Vale of Light. Too late to stop Zardock. Meet Galana and the King of the Unicorns. Sends them to the Moonstone Hills, where Zardock is...'' INTRODUCTION It has been nearly 3 weeks since you left your quiet village of Doromir behind, and hurried off on a quest of great importance. Zardock, Morandor's apprentice, has obtained two unicorn horns. Alone, they provide him with great power- but they can also guide him to the mysterious Valley of the Unicorns. If he gains all the horns he will become nigh unstoppable. ''' '''So, crossing the mountains, and leaving your native land of Ardadain far behind, you have entered the lands of Rhutalath. Your quest is urgent- you must find the Valley of the Unicorns before Zardock does, or disaster will befall the world. As night falls you cross the great river, Duinon, which acts as the Western Border of Rhutalath....... [Morandor says that nobody knows where the Valley is, save for Valaxus or Morandor's brother Kran. Kran lives too far away (near Dromil), so they must ask at a town for the location of Valaxus. At night, the group is attacked by Stormcrows, who think the party are bandits. They crows tell the company that the nearest town is Stonegate, across the swamp of Loeg Cabor.] Your journey takes you south through vast swamp of Loeg Cabor. The vile smell of the swamp sickens you, and the buzzing in the hair increases the discomfort. The going is tough- the water is dark, and deep in places, and their are vines in the most inconvenient of places. and the hornets are certainly making life difficult. Not for the first time, one of you falls headfirst into the mire. and not for the first time, all of you curse the vile place. ' ''[first night- attacked by Gratar. Maree is pulled underwater. second night- leave swamp third night- reach Stonegate. At Stonegate, they are told that the evil sorcerer, Valaxus, lives in the Nevergreen Forest (Taur Ugalen), in the South of Isana. "Don't go anywhere near that place" is repeated often.] JOURNEY TO TAUR UGALEN '' [The journey takes 5 days:'' Day 1-2 Nothing happens Day 3- Attacked by Winged Panther Day 4- 3 Dwarves travelling to Orod Eressea from the Anvil Isles '' ''Day 5- Reach the Forest] '''The Nevergreen Forest is an eerie and depressing place. Whether due to a parasitic disease, or just a flaw in the Creators' plan, the leaves of the trees are all black and withered. The barks are twisted and dark. whereas other forests are filled with sound of Gaiana's myriad creatures, silence here is broken only by the occasional cry of a raven, or a solitary wolf-howl. Despite this, the trees are widely-spaced, and the path is easy. There is also a paved road, heading eastwards to the spires of Castle Valax, high on a peak. This is fortunate, considering the lack of light under the eaves. [For Castle Valax, use Marath Seregul. The Castle is populated by Vulfen. within the castle are 2 Apocolypse Beasts and a Corpse Eater. Valaxus is in his chambers. He is disguised as a 15' tall giant, with 3 Wolves' heads. He is really a gnome, hidden behind a fake wall, casting an illusion. Valaxus is an illusionist, and his illusion has 5 'tough' spells. He will be uncooperative, until his 'creation' is defeated. Then, if pressed, he will tell the company to head for The Valley of Mists. He will add that Morandor much remain outside as he is not 'untouched'.] JOURNEY TO THE FOREST OF MISTS [The journey takes 4 days: Day 1- Nothing happens Day 2- Attacked by 5 Fey-Stalkers '' ''Day 3 Nothing Happens Day 4- Reach the Forest; Morandor stays outside] The Forest of Mists certainly lives up to its name. The whole forest is coated with a thick mist, and visibility is reduced to only a few feet. The forest is filled with a sweet scent, and the sweet singing of unseen birds reminds you that you're not alone. Despite the mist, the forest seems more hospitable than the previous forest. A strange standing stone marked with runes stands near your left. No path is visible..... matter where the PCs go, they will always end up at the standing stone.At one point a unicorn will lead them....back to the stone. Maybe Mep can communicate with the trees for help? Othewise, Callia the Sylph will be sent by Galana to guide them. '' ''As they approach the entrance to the Vale, Grendel will sense that they are in an Earthnode. '' ''The Entrance is a large cave, under a tree, leading downwards. It is protected by The guardian (Gralnor)- He has the stats of a Clay Golem. His Armour is already dented, as if he has already fought once. He won't allow them to pass unless defeated. '' ''The cave leads through a long tunnel and out into the Vale. '' THE VALE OF LIGHT ' The Vale is nothing like you imagined it. The trees are burned and leafless, and the grass is withered and yellow. The river which runs through the Valley is dry and muddy. The land is silent, save for a solitary 'whinnie' which makes you turn around. A single unicorn approaches you cautiously, its hide grey and drab, its eyes sad and weary. Its horn is missing. As you look around you notice there are more unicorns, lots of them, all grey and hornless.They all have their heads bowed low. As a chill wind blows one unicorn gestures for you to follow it.... ' '''The unicorn leads to a dry rock in the centre of the river. Next to this rock is the largest unicorn you have seen, at least 10' high, yet also missing a horn.Beside him, upon the rock, is a owman of great beauty, with long black hair, and a light green robe. Her deep green eyes are filled with sorrow. She gestures for you to approach. ' is Galana, spirit of the spirit of the Vale, and Rainax, the Unicorn King. She tells them they are too late, and must retrieve all the horns, lest the unicorns die and all magic fades from the world. Zardock has fled to the Moonstone Hills. He must be stopped at all costs- with all those horns in his power, he is almost has strong as the Death-Queen herself. Category:Quest Category:Hunt for the Horns Category:Isana